Antelope Valley residents who gathered at a special forum on Saturday offered a mixed assessment of how Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies are treating locals after the county approved a settlement with U.S. officials who concluded that the department systematically profiled and harassed racial minorities in the area. It also set new rules for deputies, including barring the practice of routinely detaining people in the back seat of patrol cars. Ruth Sanchez, a Palmdale activist, said the practice of impounding cars of unlicensed drivers — often poor, undocumented immigrants — had decreased but not completely ended. Sanchez launched a campaign several years ago to stop the practice at DUI checkpoints, which often result in unlicensed drivers having to pay hefty fees to retrieve their vehicles. Sheriff’s officials said Browning launched himself at a deputy who opened the back of the patrol car intending to handcuff him.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 11, 2016 03:15 UTC